McLarens top Hungary Friday practice

Nostalgia or harbinger? Tough to tell in the inscrutable world of a
testfree Formula One season, but a return to the top of timesheets by
McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen must
be warmly welcomed by a team whose season...

Nostalgia or harbinger? Tough to tell in the inscrutable world of a
testfree Formula One season, but a return to the top of timesheets by
McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen must
be warmly welcomed by a team whose season start was rightly termed
disgraceful (driver) and mediocre (car).

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes.

Photo by xpb.cc.

Thus World Champion Hamilton, whose driving title defense began with
that incomprehensible lying business to Australian stewards, finished
quickest Friday at the 2.722-mile Hungaroring after two practice
sessions for Sunday's Grand Prix of Hungary. Teammate Kovalainen, last
year's race winner and quickest in first practice, was right behind.
McLaren drivers have not reached the podium this season although
Hamilton finished fourth in Bahrain.

The effort could mean a McLaren driver might reach the podium's top
step Sunday because, well, odd things happen in Hungary. Or it could
mean the real contenders, Brawn GP and Red Bull, the only winning teams
so far this season, were attending other matters Friday in preparation
for Saturday's qualifying sessions. As seen, Friday times give little
accurate indication of performance to come. Ask Nico Rosberg of Williams
F1. His impressive practice times have yet to yield a podium this
season. Rosberg, fourth in Germany, was third-quick Friday afternoon.
Williams F1 arrived with new wings, front and rear, for the FW31s. They
were deemed A-OK by technical director Sam Michael.

Much of practice -- in warmer temperatures than afforded in recent races
in Britain and Germany -- was spent finding grip on an unused track
known for its dusty state. Ferrari's Felipe Massa slipped all over the
place, sliding off at seemingly every opportunity, eventually logging
18th on charts. In search of stick, the softer of two Bridgestone tire
compounds found ready use.

Red Bull's Mark Webber, winner of the most recent race, in Germany,
was fourth-quick even after he was stopped by hydraulics issues. His
teammate, Sebastian Vettel, followed Rosberg teammate Kazuki Nakajima.
Vettel's RB5 needed front suspension attention. "The car seems to be
going OK at the moment," Webber said. "We'll see what fuel loads people
are running as usual tomorrow and on Sunday. We've got a bit of work to
do with our car but, in general, it's been a reasonably positive day,
with the exception of stopping towards the end of the second session
with a hydraulic problem."

The Brawns are favored in hotter temperatures -- track temps in the
afternoon session topped the 100-degree Fahrenheit mark -- and on
a short track resembling Monaco for slow corners. The BGP 001s are
outfitted with new diffusers, rear wings and other improved bodywork.
The Brawns were troubled in cooler races when tires wouldn't warm up.

Toro Rosso's Buemi, 20, heretofore the sport's only rookie, welcomed a
new, even younger, teammate with the STR4's performance upgrade package:
new diffuser, front wing and nose, and top bodywork. Changes didn't pull
Toro Rosso off the bottom of timesheets now that Force India runners
Fisichella and Sutil have made good their claim to improvement. Force
India team principal Vijay Mallya reckons his team have improved by 1.7
seconds per lap this season.

Alguersuari, 19, stepped into the STR4 Friday with permission to turn
left and right rather than drive straight only, and he managed to keep
it upright through both sessions, clocking up lots of laps. His arrival
in replacement of Sebastien Bourdais has been the subject of much driver
rattling about whether he belongs in the sport's top level at his tender
age. Compatriot Alonso sees no problem; he drove for Minardi at 19.
Others are less sure. For his part, Alguersuari acknowledged that what
should have been the happiest day of his racing career is clouded by
the death during a race meeting last weekend of former F3 mate Henry
Surtees, 18.

Jaime Alguersuari, Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Photo by xpb.cc.

Beyond the weekend's first order of business, Red Bull extended
Webber's contract through 2010 ... Piquet talked openly of being on
notice that this could be his final race for Renault. ... Rosberg
said he is entertaining offers from McLaren and BMW Sauber as well as
Williams F1. ... Barrichello, 37, has mentioned retirement -- but only
in a 5 percent consideration way. His tirade toward his team after
the race in Germany, his second such outburst this season, has drawn
several looks askance along pit lane. Williams F1 owner Sir Frank
Williams called the Brazilian's behavior "a red-card offense." ...
Nothing has diminished conviction in certain quarters that Alonso will
be announced as a Ferrari driver for 2010 during the Italian Grand Prix
weekend Sept. 11 to 13.